


Starry nights

by Offbrand_Valk



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fic Collection, Kid Fic, Mentions of Suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-04 10:46:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13363026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Offbrand_Valk/pseuds/Offbrand_Valk
Summary: A collection of all my short to short-ish deanoru fics (more will be added as i go)





	1. Nico Minoru's secret library

"Nico what's this?" Karolina said, as she rummaged through her girlfriend's bed roller for the spare charger she'd said would be there.

Nico followed her eyes to the strategically hidden object wrapped in a spare hoodie at the very back of the bed roller. "Nothing! nothing at all!" She practically screamed at her girlfriend.

Karolina pulled her hand back like it had been burned and tried to look at everything except the mysterious object at once, but it still wasn't good enough for Nico. "Hey, are you thirsty, I'm thirsty, could you get me some water please?"

Without even thinking about it Karolina got up from the bed, forgot all about her phone with 3% power, and walked towards the kitchen. Only in the doorway did she stop for a second to see Nico already shuffling towards the object. "Wait, what are you going to do while I'm gone?"

Nico laughed nervously. "Who me? Nothing, least of all jump out of the window and throw this in the neighbors trash." She said, gesturing to the bundle she had a moment ago been reaching out for.

 

Karolina expression dropped. "Nico, you know you don't have to keep secrets from me. If you don't want to show me, that's okay, just tell me, and I will respect that, but whatever it is, it's not going to make me think less of you."

After a long moment mulling over Karolina's words, Nico let herself relax. "It's not like that, I mean before you and I got together i had them in my bookcase for everyone to see. Just... I'm not used to caring about what people think of me." Nico said and let the bundle rest in her lap, making sure it was still covered by her old hoodie.

Karolina's face simultaneously grew beet red, and white as a sheet. "You had them just sitting around? for everyone to see? What did you parents say?"

Not really understanding what had Karolina so up in arms, Nico just shrugged. "Not much, I mean dad even bought a few of these for me." Karolina looked distinctly like someone who was about to pass out from the shock of hearing that last part.

"Wait, Karo, what do you think these are?" Nico asked upon seeing her girlfriend's expression, which had the unintended (though incredibly adorable) effect of making her cheeks turn even redder.

"uhm, you know, uhm you knooow, like dirty magazines and uhm stuff?" Nico knew that Karolina's super religious upbringing hadn't exactly given her the most sex positive world view, but she had never expected her to stutter and hide her face in her hand like something out of a bad anime.

She contained her giggles for a better time and reached out to brush Karolina's face. "Karo, sweetie, no we have the internet for that."

Karolina's blush faded and she smiled back at Nico while they got lost in each other's eyes.

 

They finally had to break eye contact when Karolina's curiousity became too much. "So, what is it you wanted to hide so bad?"

This time it was Nico's turn to blush. "It's nothing, just, a hobby I guess?"

Slowly Nico pulled the cloth off to reveal a stack of thick hardcover books, the top one had a sorceress and a ranger fighting a giant on the cover, as well as the words "Player's handbook" In bold white letters.

"So, yeah I play dungeons and dragons, or I would have if Alex ever managed to put a group together. So really I just read the books." Nico found herself anxiously awaiting Karolina's response.

"Will you teach me to play some day." Karolina said without a second's hesitation.


	2. Sins maybe, tragedies no.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cause Nico deserves more of a coming out story of her own (though this is set in a no powers AU)

"Karo, I really enjoyed tonight, thank you." Nico could have easily spent another 10 hours just walking in circles around the neighborhood with Karolina, but she was already past curfew, and there was a limit to how long she could stretch the "lost track of time" defense from going to the cinema with a friend.

Karolina waved her goodbye, and started walking away. After a few steps she turned around, and rushed back to kiss Nico goodnight.

 

"Nico did you forget your keys again? Do you have any idea how late it is?" When they heard Nico's mom call out to her, they leapt apart.

Not fast enough though, so when Tina opened her front door she got an eyeful of Nico standing on her tippy toes, with her arms wrapped around Karolina's neck, and their lips practically glued together.

Karolina rushed to Nico's defense before either Minoru could say anything. "Mrs. Minoru I can explai-" Nico pushed her to the side. "Karo, just go."

And so she did, looking worried over her shoulder towards the closed door every 3rd step.

 

"Sorry." Nico whimpered and rushed past her.

Tina called out to her, to no avail. Nico had already reached her room and slammed the door.

She tried to open the door and found it locked. She knocked first gently, then more insistently as images of Nico lying spread out on her bed the same way as she had found Amy, flashed through her head. It wasn't a reasonable response, Tina knew as much. She was scared and suddenly very aware how little she knew her daughter.

"Nico, Please just talk to me." She begged the closed door.

The door opened to her daughter on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry okay, you don't have to yell at me, give me 10 minutes to pack and you'll never see me again."

The last of Tina's emotional restraint went right out the window, as she pulled Nico into a tight hug and began sobbing violently. "Nico, please don't ever say that, please just put the bag down and let's talk about it."

Nico hesitated for several long seconds before reciprocating the hug. "So I'm not disowned?" She said cautiously, still expecting to get the earful of the century.

Instead she got an even tighter hug. "Of course not Nico, I would never do that."

They let the hug play its course, when they separated Tina wiped a tear from Nico's eye and said: "You don't have to tell me anything, I can forget what I saw if you're not ready Nico."

She weighed her options, asking her mom to ignore what she saw was the easy way out, but now that she knew her mom wouldn't be angry about her being bisexual, she actually really wanted someone to talk about it with. "No, I'm ready, just give me a second to get out of my boots."

As excuses went, that one was among Nico's worst. "Okay, I'll make us some tea, take all the time you need." However her mom respected that she needed time to think, and truth be told she could use a bit herself.

 

Tina thought she had been prepared for anything when it came to being Nico's mom. If Nico was contemplating suicide, she had read every book about how to help her through it, and a standing reservation with one of the best therapists in LA. If Nico developed a drug addiction she had a complete list of rehab centers ordered by success rate and scientific basis of their methods ready to go. If Nico became pregnant she had a 30 step plan already drawn up with branching paths depending on how late they discovered it, whether the dad was still a part of her life, and if Nico wanted to keep the baby. Somehow she had skipped over the possibility of Nico not being straight.

She could really do with an hour or 2 to speed read through some articles on the topic. However there was no way Nico would need that much time, so instead she just had to keep calm and make tea. Every good meeting started with drinking tea.

 

Nico more snuck than walked into the kitchen, keeping a close watch of her feet the whole time.

"Let me guess, you had a piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth, and Karolina was just trying to get it out?" It was meant to be a joke to lighten the mood, and Tina immediately regretted it. She had never quite mastered how to not make her humor sound spiteful.

"No she... She's my girlfriend." The glow that spread across Nico's face when she said it out loud, was contagious like no tomorrow.

"Tell me everything." Was the only thing Tina could think to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also on tumblr at https://offbrand-valk.tumblr.com/


	3. The knife game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So far this has all been very Nico centric, not sure why, but here's some more Nico, about how deep down she will always be an edgy child, and Karolina can't handle it

Do you ever have one of those intrusive thoughts, that no matter what you do, just won't go away until you act them out?

Don't ask how, but we'd gotten our hands on a bayonet knife, and I had been voted the most responsible to carry it. Normally I would agree, except... you know the knife game song? Yeah that had been stuck in my head all week.

So while everyone was busy doing their own things, I found a nice secluded stump.

 

"Oh, I have all my fingers

the knife goes: chop chop chop

If I miss the spaces in between

my fingers will come off

 

And if I hit my fingers

Blood will soon come out

But all the same I play this game

cause that's what it's all about."

 

I took a moment to gather myself for the last and fastest verse, but before I could grab the knife again I was tackled from the side.

I looked up at my would-be attacker, and saw Karolina with tears streaming down her face, as she clutched both my hands. "Please don't ever do that again!" she sobbed.

Had it been anyone else, I would have punched them without hesitating. "Karolina relax, I'm okay." I said, showing her my pretty much unbloodied hands (I slightly nicked a finger once, it wasn't exactly a slasher movie).

Karolina however remained inconsolable. "You could have died!" She cried at me, dropping tears and snot unto my face.

"I really couldn't Karo, at worst I could have mangled my fingers." I could sense Karolina knew she was being unreasonable, that didn't mean I had to take it lying down (literally!).

After a few more gross sobs, she stood up and huffed. "Well unlike you, some of us really care about your fingers." Then, realizing how that sounded she quickly added. "NOT LIKE THAT."

To which I responded by quirking my eyebrow at her.

"OKAY NOT JUST LIKE THAT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can always come yell at me on [my tumblr](https://offbrand-valk.tumblr.com/)


	4. Galpalla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous on tumblr prompted me with: deanoru in someone else's POV (runaways' or parents' POV maybe?)  
> I of course went with my favorite character, Tina Minoru.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry Nonnie that the results became so _meh_ I was really happy to get your prompt and wish i could have done it more justice

Tina was, to put it simply, a big fan of Karolina's.

Her and Nico had been growing further and further apart for years, to the point where Tina had started to worry she would come home one day to find Nico had run away. that all changed when  Nico and Karolina reconnected.

 

Tina didn't know all the details. Nico just came home smiling one day and voluntarily talked about her life over dinner. Once Tina's suspicion had waned, she tracked Nico's happiness back to an impromptu coffee date with Karolina.

Over the next few weeks Nico and Karolina became thick as thieves. It was adorable seeing them glued together by the hand like they were 6 years old again. Tina didn't even mind the fact that she always had to take out either 4 or 2 dishes depending on where Karolina and Nico were spending the evening.

She would be lying if she said a major reason for why she was so accepting of Nico spending every waking minute with a friend, and skipping out of agreements for her, was the fact that Karolina was the most well-behaved and kind human being alive. If she hadn't been... Well for one thing Nico wouldn't be having weekend long sleepovers every weekend.

It wasn't like she didn't see Robert's point, that it was a little strange for two 17-year-old girls to only have each other as friends. Tina just chalked it up to Nico always having been a bit of a loner, and Karolina getting disillusioned with her parent's church.

 

One evening Nico came home simultaneously giddy and secretive. After that there was a strange change in her and Karolina's friendship. At first Tina thought they'd had a fight since they weren't holding hands near as often any more. Then she noticed the glances.

Dear god the glances.

She felt like she was playing whack-a-mole (nosy mom edition), every time Karolina and Nico thought they weren't looking, they would gaze longingly at each other. Then as soon as they realized Tina or Robert had spotted them, they would hurry to look in opposite directions like they had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

It was then Tina started to suspect that her husband might be on to something.

Her first thought was to confront Nico head on, though she quickly redecided, since on second thought that seemed like exactly the way to lose Nico again.

So she waited.

 

And waited...

 

Nico and Karolina were not being subtle in the least. The copious amount of gay movies and tv shows Tina could ignore, the cuddling less so but it was possible, however she struggled to believe that they thought she didn't notice all the times Karolina had black or gray-ish smudges on her lips.

She was starting to think that maybe she needed to be more clear about her support for the queer community. However she needed to do it subtly, hanging a pride flag from her office would be a little too on the nose, and might even scare off Nico. Instead Tina made some consultations, headed some new initiatives, and did her best to become more aware of the language she used.

Results weren't immediately obvious, but Tina hadn't gotten to where she was if she didn't know how to play the long game.

 

Not that she actually had to wait long before Nico approached her about borrowing the vacation home in Canada for a weekend with Karolina, and only Karolina.

With the slightest bit of probing Nico spilled the beans. She had been waiting for the right moment, and now she couldn't wait any longer.

Nico told her about the awkward longing, and the sweaty handholding. She told her about them coming out to each other, and being convinced Karolina didn't reciprocate her feelings, only to have her world shaken when Karolina kissed her first.

But Nico didn't stop there. She talked about her plans for the future, about all the sights her and Karolina would see, the dorm room they would share in college (Tina had opinions on that, they would have to come later), and how she would make Karolina like her music or die trying.

Suddenly Nico's rambling stopped in place, she was in the middle of telling Tina how she had secretly been practicing how to make hot cocoa, so she could make the very best kind for Karolina when they were in Canada. It took several calming breaths and looks around the room before Nico was ready to talk.

It was with a quiet, almost whispering voice, Nico told Tina that her and Karolina had been talking about having sex. Nico really wanted to, she just also happened to be worry about pretty much every part of it. She was worried about her tummy fat, she was worried about her flat chest, and her acne, and all the weird places she had hair in. Which was to say nothing of all her worries about the actual act. Nico had read somewhere that it wasn't a good idea to finger someone with long nails, so she was going to keep her nails filed down as far as possible for the rest of her life. And what if she couldn't get wet for Karolina? Or she couldn't get Karolina to orgasm? Did she have to go down on Karolina, because one time she tried sucking on her own finger after masturbating and it was the grossest thing she had ever tasted.

Was it bad how much Tina enjoyed the chance to be Nico's mom? She didn't have any grand or life changing advice to give, only the classics her mom never gave her: Karolina will love you no matter what you look like, sex is supposed to be fun, remember to talk to about what you like, and especially during sex since Karolina can't read minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://offbrand-valk.tumblr.com/ is my tumblr for those who want to follow me there


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